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The Ultimate Holiday Gifting Check List

Loop and Tie

Loop and Tie,

The holidays can feel a little overwhelming. You’ve got parties to attend, end-of-year review decks to make, budgets to finalize, clients to check in with, prospects to reach out to. Oh yeah, and you’ve also got to get gifts for everyone on your list!

At Loop & Tie we believe gifts are a way to connect and celebrate those around you, from friends and family to employees and customers. To help you stay focused on the joyful parts and stress less about the details, we’ve put together The Ultimate Holiday Gifting Check List!

Use this guide to go from “Yikes, I need gifts…” to “Yes! They loved it!” — and leave your holiday gifting stress in the past.

Deadlines to keep in mind

First things first, at the end of the year, you’re always running against the clock. Here are key deadlines you need to know to get your gifting in order:

Don’t worry if you’ve missed any of these deadlines. There are still options to build a great holiday gifting campaign! Book a time with our gifting experts for help.

5 steps to stress-free holiday gifting

1. Make your list.‍

This is arguably the most time consuming (and important!) part of the gifting process. Set aside some time to think about who you want to celebrate this holiday season. Common groups to add to your list include:

Your immediate team, including EAs and Admins
Larger company departments
Freelancers, contractors, and project partners
Customers and clients
Leads and prospects you’re actively working with

Start big – you can narrow it down later if you have budget constraints. The goal here is to create a wish list for every connection that matters for your business.

It helps to identify what you’re trying to accomplish by sending gifts to these groups. Is the goal to show employee appreciation? Engage customers? Retain clients? Linking the reason for sending a gift to a tangible objective will help you make smarter decisions in the next steps.

Pro-tip: While you’re in list mode, you might even want to create a separate spreadsheet for the people in your personal life who make your day-to-day do-able, including childcare professionals, dog walkers, and cleaners.

2. Finalize your budget.

Often easier said than done, right? If you need budget approval from your CFO, take these steps to help make your case:

Explain the reasoning behind requesting a gifting budget (think back to your list and objectives from step one!).
Provide a breakdown of the amount you want to spend per person, per gifting campaign. Being clear about costs will ease nerves about budget creep.
Show how you’ll calculate ROI (if applicable) or measure success of the gift program. Tying your plan back to overall business goals demonstrates that gifting isn’t a cost center, but an investment in organizational priorities.

If you don’t have to request a budget (lucky you!) and you’re not sure where to start, we recommend a holistic approach to setting your spend. Think about the total amount you have to spend, then determine gift spend per person. This amount may differ based on your goals and that’s okay! We give you permission to be strategic with your budget. 😉

Pro-tip: Don’t forget to budget for taxes, packaging, and shipping costs! Loop & Tie offers flat rate shipping to simplify budgeting for free users, and free shipping for all paid plans. Check out more details about our plans and pricing.

3. Consider custom touches.

From custom packaging to including a branded item in every box, Loop & Tie can help make your holiday gifts feel authentic to your brand. Here are custom touches our customers love:

Adding branded graphics to the gift email and redemption page
Writing personalized thank you messages to express end-of-year gratitude (try these templates for inspiration)
Including high quality branded merch to surprise and delight recipients with a bonus gift

Pro-tip: You can customize any gift send throughout the year, but if you want your brand to stand out for the holiday season, the deadline for custom packaging is Oct 31, 2025. Schedule time with our gifting experts to walk through the process and get all of the information you need.

4. Schedule your gift sends.

You’ve made your list, you’ve crafted your messages, and now it’s time for the fun part - the sending! With Loop & Tie you can upload your gift recipient list directly to the platform and schedule your gifts to send at the day and time of your choice.

Pro-tip: If this step still sounds stressful, delegate it to our team of experts. We’ll set up your campaign, add custom graphics and messaging, and make sure everything runs smoothly so you don’t have to.

5. Relax and reflect.

Who knew gifting could be so easy? Well, we did…and now you do! With your gifts all squared away, you can sit back and relax. You’ll receive notifications when your recipients redeem their gifts and when they send you thank you notes for being so thoughtful. When you’re ready, you can measure the impact of your holiday gifting, from engagement score to environmental impact… but that’s a task for 2026 you.